It started in 2005. European police forces began testing a new kind of surveillance, hoping to reduce paperwork and help prosecute criminals simultaneously. The idea? Strapping video cameras to their helmets, resulting in the first version of the Body-Worn Camera (BWC): a tool designed to capture video evidence. Long used for police work across the globe, this technology marked the first time officers wore the cameras as part of their kit.
Body-worn cameras set off a revolution in policing and deterred criminal activity, all while collecting photo and video evidence for judges and jurors. Almost immediately, police forces across Western Europe, including France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the UK started buying police body camera technology, ensuring each officer wore one on shift, as law enforcement agencies recognized the benefits.
At the time, police body camera technology was a far cry from the technology available today. Often attached to an officer’s hat or helmet, the early cameras were the size of a bar of soap, required officers to turn them on at their discretion, stored only four hours of footage on a four-hour battery, had 16GB of internal storage, and used a lens that offered a narrow 68-degree field of view. Yet, they were capturing footage used to decide situations of one person’s word against another. Today, advancements in body camera capabilities, such as AI video analysis and better energy efficiency, represent essential technology for law enforcement agencies.
Body worn cameras are small, portable devices that police officers and other law enforcement personnel wear to record video and audio footage of their interactions with the public. These cameras have become an essential tool for law enforcement agencies, providing a valuable source of evidence and helping promote transparency and accountability. The best police body cameras are designed to be rugged, reliable, and easy to use, with features such as high-quality video, long battery life, and secure evidence management. By capturing real-time video and audio, body cams help to protect both officers and citizens, documenting interactions accurately and fairly.
The U.S. followed suit a few years after they were implemented in Europe.
One of the first departments to implement Body-Worn Cameras in the U.S. was the Rialto Police Department in Rialto, CA. From 2012 to 2013, they conducted an experiment to determine the impact of the best police body cameras on the officers and the public. What they found was groundbreaking. When officers wore cameras, the use-of-force incidents decreased by more than 58%, while citizen complaints dropped by nearly 90%. The study attributes these staggering statistics to behavioral research, which repeatedly shows that people change their behaviors when being watched.
Various agencies, including law enforcement and public safety organizations, have adopted body cameras to enhance accountability and operational efficiency.
However, it wasn’t until the shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, that the national conversation around this technology began to change.
Body Worn Cameras were praised by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as “a law enforcement strategy aimed at improving public safety for all agencies, reducing crime, and improving public trust between police and the citizens they serve.”
Even organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) supported BWCs as long as they “were accompanied by a proper policy.”
Concerns about older body camera technologies, such as poorer video quality and connectivity issues, have been raised, leading to budget concerns for public agencies considering upgrades.
In 2015, President Obama had Attorney General Loretta Lynch announce $23 million in grants “to expand the use of Body-Worn Cameras and explore their impact.” That money went to departments across 32 states to “build upon efforts to mend the fabric of trust, respect and common purpose that all communities need to thrive,” said Lynch.
Yet some officers were still hesitant.
In 2017, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) was involved in a government-funded study to determine the BWC’s effectiveness and contribution to community safety and citizen and police interactions.
Sheriff Joe Lombardo of the LVMPD said in an article released by the DOJ, “When we first proposed the idea of body-worn cameras, our officers were reticent…what they quickly [discovered] was that [the camera] became their best eyewitness.”
The study also examined the impact of body cameras on arrests, finding no significant improvement in arrest rates or other key performance metrics.
Body cameras have been highlighted for their role in enhancing officer safety and reducing civilian complaints, although some research suggests mixed findings regarding their effectiveness.
Body cameras typically feature high-definition video recording, audio capture, and still image photography. They may also include additional features such as GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing officers to upload video remotely and providing real-time situational awareness. The latest features of body cameras include advanced video compression, low-light recording, and enhanced audio quality. When choosing the best police body cameras, law enforcement agencies should consider factors such as video quality, battery life, and ease of use. These features ensure that the footage captured is clear and reliable, even in challenging conditions, and that the cameras can operate for a full shift without recharging.
A recent update in BWC technology has made this “eyewitness” device even more beneficial. The debate on when to power on and off Body-Worn Cameras remains a hot topic for officers and the public. However, Getac has enabled a bluetooth body camera function on the BWC, eliminating the debate. The updated function allows the cameras to automatically start recording once a sensor has been triggered and upload video remotely for immediate review, ensuring officers stay connected throughout their shifts. The sensors can be activated by events ranging from weapon release to lightbar activation, sirens, speed, crashes, and more. Additionally, the technology can record the 10, 20, or even 30 seconds before the trigger event, providing a more comprehensive context around the event.
This automatic triggering function aligns well with model Body-Worn Camera policies proposed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), U.S. DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and the ACLU, who all encourage officers to activate their Body-Worn Cameras when responding to every call or when in touch with citizens in any capacity. It also prevents officers from worrying about powering on the camera, potentially distracting them and leading to unsafe situations for the officers and civilians. Additionally, the importance of software in managing body camera systems cannot be overstated, as it enhances hardware functionality and streamlines evidence management.
The full-shift battery ensures officers can rely on their body cameras for up to 14 hours, covering their entire shift without concerns about battery life impacting performance.
Once the video and audio have been collected, the next step is to figure out what to do with it. According to a report funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications, determining how to utilize it best is proving daunting. They surveyed the members of the Major Cities Chiefs and Major County Sheriffs. They found that a large majority, over 70%, of “respondents recognized a need to expand and improve their IT infrastructure to support BWCs fully.” Members cited “lack of data storage capacity, inadequate network or bandwidth capability, and inadequate wireless capacity” as their primary technological concern. Ensuring a secure location for capturing and managing evidence is crucial to enhance the efficiency and security of the evidence management process.
Furthermore, state and local laws and internal policies make it challenging to find a solution. Determining how long to keep footage, when to turn on your camera, which scenarios automatically trigger recording, and many other topics are questions with answers that differ from city to city. The government has created a database for the current state BWC laws. Reliable body cams are essential in preserving evidence, even if the camera is lost, damaged, or tampered with, ensuring critical evidence remains accessible to law enforcement agencies.
Body cameras have a wide range of applications in law enforcement, including police departments, sheriff’s offices, and other public safety agencies. They are used to record interactions with the public, document crime scenes, and provide evidence in court proceedings. Body cameras can also help to promote community trust and reduce complaints against police officers. By providing a clear and objective record of events, body cameras help to protect both officers and citizens. This transparency helps build trust between law enforcement agencies and their communities.
In addition to law enforcement, the security and healthcare industries also use body cameras. Security guards and healthcare professionals may wear body cameras to record interactions with patients, clients, or visitors, helping to promote safety and accountability. Body cameras can record training sessions, patient consultations, and other events, providing valuable evidence and helping improve performance. By capturing real-time video and audio, body cameras help to protect both professionals and the people they serve, recording interactions accurately and fairly.
Body cameras are also used in retail and jail settings, where they can help to promote safety and security. Retail security personnel may wear body cameras to record customer interactions, helping prevent shoplifting and other forms of theft. In jail settings, body cameras can be used to record interactions between corrections officers and inmates, helping to promote safety and reduce the risk of violence. Body cameras can help resolve disputes and foster accountability in these settings by providing a clear and accurate record of events, ensuring transparency, and building trust.
Today’s best police body cameras are no longer bulky, low-resolution devices with short battery life. The best solutions now offer cutting-edge features, seamless integration with in-car systems, and advanced software that supports both officers in the field and command centers. Getac’s body-worn cameras are designed with these real-world needs in mind.
Getac offers one of the industry’s smallest and lightest body cameras in the BC-02, engineered for comfort and durability without compromising performance. Despite its compact size, Getac BWCs deliver:
A 12-hour full-shift battery life
64 GB of storage
High-resolution recording in 1080p, 720p, or 480p
A 120-degree field of view
Full-HD low-light video capture
Designed for the realities of patrol duty, the BC-04 camera operates between -20°C and 50°C (-4°F to 122°F) and resists drops up to 1.5 meters.It offers flexible mounting options on the chest, pocket, MOLLE gear, or epaulets for officer comfort and convenience.
Looking ahead, AI and mobile integration are transforming the role of the body-worn camera. New capabilities like real-time translation, voice-activated report writing, and smart assistant-style interaction are being developed to help officers stay focused and efficient. BWCs are also becoming smarter, with future-ready AI capabilities such as license plate recognition (LPR), facial recognition, and behavioral analysis that enhance situational awareness and feed intelligence directly back to command centers.
In parallel, mobile apps are playing a growing role in connected workflows. Officers can pair smartphones with BWCs to view live feeds, update case information, and capture interviews or incident footage directly from their phones. With citizen-facing capture apps, members of the public can also submit video evidence directly to agency backend systems, streamlining evidence collection and improving community collaboration.
Getac BWCs can also be used for audio-only recordings, making it handy for users to collect evidence and interviews, eliminating the need for an additional wireless microphone. Less gear for the officers means lighter kits, less equipment training and maintenance, as well as being more cost-effective for departments.
While the physical camera and how it integrates with an officer’s day-to-day routine are important, they are only two elements of a more complex intelligence-gathering system that Getac offers. Getac Real-Time Command integrates information and imagery from several sources, including streaming body cameras. It provides real-time updates to Chiefs, Commanders, and others back at HQ, monitoring the deployment of units on the ground. This feature is designed to help authorities gain real-time visibility in dynamic or evolving situations, supporting faster response and decision-making.
Body cameras have come a long way over the last few years, but “the technology’s potential impacts are far-reaching” and still aren’t widely understood. Let Getac Video Solutions help. We have a passion for innovative technology that makes the world safer through innovations like the Getac body camera. Our mission is to continually evolve the promise of technology and innovate solutions that are focused on keeping communities and those who serve communities safe.
Scott Worley is the Video Sales Director for Getac in North America. His background spans strategic roles in organizations such as Toshiba America, Digital Safety Technologies, and Utility Associates, driving exceptional results by adeptly managing sales teams and channel partners on a national scale.
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